Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 495: The Power of Bonds!

The moment Su Mo and Mo Wenli stepped down from the arena stage, they saw a figure rushing toward them in evident panic.

It turned out to be the Thunder-Fire Sect Leader. Approaching Su Mo with concern, he asked, “Shifu, are you alright?”

“Shifu?” Mo Wenli was utterly baffled, unable to understand what was happening.

“This is my shifu and your grand-shifu,” the Thunder-Fire Sect Leader explained through an auditory message.

“Grand-Shifu? But didn’t you say he was dead?” Mo Wenli was nonplussed, recalling that his earlier attitude toward Su Mo hadn’t been particularly respectful.

“That was just our official story to the outside world. In truth, your grand-shifu is a reforged cultivator aiming for the Transcendent Tribulation Stage. He had several enemies in his early years, so after dispersing his cultivation to cultivate anew, he kept a low profile in fear of retaliation. That’s why we announced to the world that he was dead.”

“And you didn’t tell me even when I was about to fight Grand-Shifu...” Mo Wenli gave the Thunder-Fire Sect Leader a reproachful look. Had the Heavenly Court Creed not intervened, we might have actually come to blows.

The Thunder-Fire Sect Leader scolded, “Isn’t it because you can’t keep secrets?! I was afraid you’d give it away during the match. And that Young Creed Leader Lu was right—look at how sloppy your lightning spells are, splitting apart like forked piss! You’re going into seclusion when we return, and you won’t come out until you’ve achieved some results!”

Mo Wenli’s face turned ashen.

“Now, now, no need to frighten a junior,” Su Mo interjected, playing peacemaker. “Little Mo is pretty strong. It’s just that his opponent this time was stronger. Tell you what, I’ll give you some pointers when we return.” He was actually quite pleased with Mo Wenli, viewing him as promising material.

The Thunder-Fire Sect Leader stared at him with an unreadable look. “You weren’t like this with me back in the day.”

~~~

Below the arena stage, the five heavenly kings exuded an aura that warned others to keep their distance. Though spectators didn’t dare approach, they couldn’t suppress their curiosity.

“Those five heavenly kings are so frightening! Just getting near them makes me shiver.”

“You don’t say! They’re from a major ancient faction, and you know how chaotic those times were; human lives were as worthless as grass. Who knows how many lives these heavenly kings have taken!”

“Shh! Don’t let them hear you!”

“We’re using voice transmission. They can’t hear us, right?”

“Better safe than sorry. Who’s to say there weren’t secret spells to eavesdrop in ancient times? Look at how palpable these five people’s killing intent is. They’re definitely the vindictive type. If they take notice of you, do you think you’ll still have peaceful days ahead?”

“But you seem to have said more outrageous things than we did.”

~~~

The five heavenly king protectors stood as motionless as stone statues, their minds free of distractions while they watched everything indifferently, devoid of joy or sorrow.

First Elder transmitted an auditory message gleefully. “You know, the acting sect leader’s idea is not bad. By leveraging our home advantage to stage a grand debut for the Heavenly Court Creed, our reputation is now established. The diabolic creeds and archaic cultivators are bound to take the bait.” He had seen the shock, fear, and panic on everyone’s faces during their flashy entrance, and he found it immensely satisfying.

“Say, do you think we’d get exposed?” Grandpa Ba asked nervously. As satisfying and thrilling as it was, he feared the truth might come to light. This time was different from their usual cons, where they deceived those of the same cultivation realm. Now, they were trying to dupe even Transcendent Tribulation seniors.

If we get exposed, going out of the sect in the future will be perilous. They didn’t fear anyone at the Fusion Stage, for none could defeat them, but if a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator stepped in, they could only pray their shifu would arrive in time to save them.

Third Elder thought his second brother’s worries were unwarranted. “No chance of that. Junior Niece Yun gave us her word; she assured us there’s no way we’ll be exposed.

”Besides, even if we do get exposed, it’s not a problem. I’ve prepared a backup plan.”

The other four were astonished. Since when did Old Three prepare a backup plan?

“What backup plan?”

“I bought insurance for all five of us at the merchant guild. Even if something happens, we’ll get a hefty sum of spirit stones... But never mind that, my disciple is taking the stage now.”

“Meng Jingzhou, Dao-Seeking Sect.”

“Long Huo, Longteng Village!”

Longteng Village was a unique entity. It was both an administrative unit of Great Xia and part of the aristocratic Long Family’s influence.

Eight thousand years ago, an expert surnamed Long settled in a desolate part of Ji Province with his wife, concubine, and servants. No one knew his origins; it was as if he had appeared out of nowhere. Some claimed he came from the East Sea and was a dragon-human.

The expert sired several sons and daughters before passing away, leaving behind an enormous amount of cultivation resources. His descendants remained upon this land, continuing to thrive and carrying forth his bloodline.

Thanks to the resources left by that expert and the considerable talent of his children, the family did not squander their inheritance. Over generations, outsiders began calling them the Ji Province Long Family, and they became an ancestral clan.

Gradually, the area took shape. When local officials inspected the site and deemed that it met the criteria for a village, they reported it up the chain of command. The higher-ups designated it as a village and respected the Long Family’s wishes, naming it Longteng Village.

The village chief of Longteng Village was always the current patriarch of the Long Family for every generation. Long Huo was the son of the previous patriarch. Although he was suppressed by the current patriarch in his youth, as he demonstrated outstanding talent and became Longteng Village’s most gifted cultivator, even the current patriarch could no longer oppress him.

Long Huo activated his golden core—a first-grade water-type golden core—covering his body with a thin film of water that could block attacks to some degree.

“Roving Dragon Strike!”

Like a roaming dragon, Long Huo darted across the arena at terrifying speed, leaving afterimages in his wake. Even one’s spiritual consciousness struggled to pinpoint his location. He circled behind Meng Jingzhou and seized the moment when his opponent had yet to react, targeting his neck with a knifehand strike.

“Got you!” His heart leaped with triumph. My opponent had been careless.

To his shock, however, Meng Jingzhou dodged the ambush with just a slight shift of his body.

“What?!” There’s no way he could have seen me coming.

Meng Jingzhou yawned in boredom. This opponent is nothing special.

Refusing to give up, Long Huo unleashed the Roving Dragon Strike again, launching relentless assaults from all directions, but Meng Jingzhou evaded them all with ease.

~~~

Below the stage, Young Creed Leader Lu clapped, his eyes alight with excitement as if he had found an opponent he had long yearned for. “Terrific! As expected of a disciple representing the Dao-Seeking Sect. Unless I’m mistaken, he has reached the ‘No-Self Forget-Self’ realm of physique cultivation. Even among ancient prodigies, none accomplished this at the Intermediate Golden Core Stage!”

The Unbreakable Heavenly King nodded. “It looks like he has only recently entered this realm. At this level, his body automatically dodges low-threat attacks without conscious thought.” Since “low-threat” didn’t mean no threat, one would naturally still dodge the attacks.

With Young Creed Leader Lu’s explanation, the prodigies below the stage finally understood how formidable a physique cultivator Meng Jingzhou was.

Meng Jingzhou nodded in satisfaction. This kid Lu Yang isn’t so bad after all.

He executed the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms and took a sudden step forward. With a burst of power, he dealt a threefold fist force that sent Long Huo flying.

Long Huo desperately dissipated the fist force, staggering backward until he stabilized himself just half a chi from the arena’s edge.

Meng Jingzhou’s expression was one of mild astonishment. “Not bad, you could withstand that punch! Again!”

No longer holding back, Meng Jingzhou ceaselessly unleashed Heaven-Shaking Six Forms, driving Long Huo back. However, each time he thought he had knocked Long Huo off the stage, Long Huo unexpectedly withstood the blow.

Even so, Long Huo gradually buckled under the barrage of intense assaults.

“You can’t win. Just admit defeat.”

Should I really admit defeat? Aware of the gulf between them, Long Huo closed his eyes unwillingly. After fighting so long, I’m also exhausted. Continuing will be futile; the outcome is already set.

Is the gap between me and a true prodigy really this vast?

“Long Huo-gege,[1] you can do it! Jiayou!”

“Long Huo, don’t give up!”

“You’re the man who defeated me to represent our village. You can’t lose here!”

Images of his companions flashed through Long Huo’s mind—his childhood sweetheart, his close friends, the patriarch’s son who was both a rival and an ally...

“I mustn’t admit defeat!” I bear the village’s hopes, fighting as the Long Family’s representative. How could I admit defeat here?!

The referee walked over and glanced at Long Huo, who lay sprawled on the ground.

“His life is already flashing before his eyes?

“Winner of this match: Meng Jingzhou.”

1. Gege is a term of endearment used to address an older male, typically by a female. ☜